3 Wearable Devices: Sociotechnical Imaginaries and Agential Capacities

In this chapter, I address the sociocultural dimensions of wearable devices: small, lightweight technologies that can be readily placed on human bodies as they move around in time and space. While wearable devices have not always been and need not be digital (examples are spectacles, pedometers, and prosthetic limbs), I focus here on the new range of wearables with embedded sensors that generate digital data that have emerged over the past decade, in concert with mobile smart devices and Wi-Fi technologies. These new digital wearable devices include bands that are worn on the wrist, leg, ankle, around the chest or forehead, smart rings, smartwatches, pendants, devices that can be clipped onto clothing or worn on helmets, smart clothing and footwear, headsets and smart glasses, headphones, ear buds and other ear wear, and medical devices such as hearing aids, smart contact lenses, and electronic skin patches. Some wearables offer digital displays so that wearers can view the data they collect. Many communicate wirelessly with apps on other smart devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers, and laptops.